The Story of Milly
by LoveInChains
Summary: After longing for excitement and adventure all her life Leandra Mills receives a life changing letter, allowing her to delve into the magical realms she's written about for so long. Surrounded by spells, charms, and magical creatures, one can find a home and even a bit of love along the way. Eventual Sirius/OC
1. Made of Dog Hair, Spruce, and Fairytales

**Milly**

** Made of Dog Hair, Spruce, and Fairytales**

They were coming to the kingdom by land, rushing across the golden plains on horseback with crossbows drawn and canons off in the distance, poised to fire. From a scout's tower a soldier yelled to his comrades in the hopes to protect their proud city. The smallest and lithest of them all rushed to the castle to warn their fair and just Queen without being told to do so. Through the busy streets he steered and swerved, avoiding barrels and vendor's to the best of his ability, muttering quick apologies to those who couldn't get out of his way in time.

By the time he approached the drawbridge he could feel the army getting closer and closer to the kingdom. The ground shook stronger after each second passed. Feverishly he crashed through the door, sped across the cobblestone, and grabbed the nearest servant by the collar. "Where's the Queen?!" He yelled.

The young boy looked up at the soldier in fright. "Her majesty… she's… she's…"

"Damn you, boy, we don't have time! Where?!"

Again the boy seemed eternally frightened. "I-in her chambers, s-s-s-sir."

The servant was thrown hastily aside allowing the soldier to rush up the steps towards his unsuspecting Queen. As the sounds of his boots against the cold stone thundered in his ears he pushed himself to continue. He must warn her highness, if it were the last thing he was to do. When he came to the last step of the looming tower he allowed himself a moments breath. Once that he raised his gauntlet to the door and-

"Lee, you up there?"

The soldier's gaze blurred and his mind grew foggy. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Were evil spirits whispering in his ear?

"Lea, I swear on your daddy's grave, if you're up there-"

He rubbed out his inner ear to clear the strange visions. They had chosen a truly inopportune time to rear their devilish heads. He raised his hand again to warn his Queen when the incessant images trying to force their way into troubled mind returned.

"Leandra Peony Mills, get your ass down here before I chop this tree down!"

Finally giving up, the images of regal castles and encroaching armies faded into the distance. In their place sat an angered young girl with a pencil and pad gripped tightly in her hands. She reached towards the curtains and pushed them aside, making her presence known to the angry troll barking up at her.

She glared down at the dishevelled creature. "Mum, I'm writing, can't it wait?"

"Write, write, write!" She complained. "Is that all you do?" The girl didn't respond, she jutted her rose pink tongue out at her mother. "Come on Shakespeare, post's just arrived."

The girl rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "What's the post have to do with me?"

With a devilish smirk cast up at her the mother said, "Something's arrived for a Miss L. Mills, The Castle in the Trees, 717 Castbury Lane, Ashford, Kent." When the girl didn't respond, she continued with a laugh. "It's for you you knob! Now get down here!"

The rest of the illusion is shattered. The girl is ripped from her expansive imagination and thrust back into reality.

This excited girl is me. An eleven year old version of me, mind you, receiving a letter that will change my life forever. In anticipation of it I threw myself at the ladder, down it I nearly slipped into the most familiar and welcoming little nook, and from that I leapt to the ground. Once I managed to get to my feet I threw my tangled brown hair out of my eyes and I barrel towards the house.

Waiting for me at the kitchen table was my mum, an envelope dangling from her dirty hands. Being the impulsive and reckless young girl I was, and some people might argue I still am, I yanked the parchment from her and ripped it open. In it was a neatly folded letter, a letter I gladly removed, and I read it, excitement and adrenaline pulsing through me. There wasn't much written on the thing, allowing me to read it over and over again. After the third or fourth read through, the words began to sink in. And those words did not make a lick of sense.

"Ma…" I said tentatively. "I'm pretty sure this is a load of shit…"

"Leandra!" She chastised at my oddly vulgar language, for an eleven year old.

'_Shit_.' I thought, raking a hand down my face. Sometimes I'd forget to watch my sailor's mouth. "Sorry, Ma. But I'm not kiddin', look at this… they want me to send them an owl!"

"An owl?" She asked, clearly as confused as I was. "This some sort of taxidermy school?"

I shook my head and handed the letter to her. "Nah, sounds like they want me to send them a message through some unheard of owl-mail service, like a pigeon or whatever. And there's all this nonsense about _Merlin_ and _Witchcraft_… and some place called _Hogwarts_."

Just as unconvinced as I was, my mum laughed. "The school's called Hogwarts? You're right; this _is_ a load of shit."

Without a second thought we both agreed to crumple the damn thing and toss it into the rubbish.

That was June of that summer, when I received my letter. And my mum and I didn't even think about it in the following weeks. We were too busy weeding the garden for most of June and July. So as it neared August I just took to my tree house and continued my story of the encroaching army and the beloved Queen. Though, this time, I could clearly see an old man beyond her door.

_"M'lady, m'lady!" The soldier cried as his knuckles rasped against the wood of the Queen's bedroom door._

_ From beyond the sturdy oak the sound of hushed murmurs struggled to find their way to the soldier's ears. Some he could recognise as belonging to the Queen with her melodious voice, others were much deeper in pitch, raspier, and more strained, most certainly a man's. With no small amount of effort the soldier was able to discern some of what they were saying._

_ "Millicent, the world as you know it is changing." The rougher voice said hurriedly._

_ "What would you have me do, _sorcerer_?" The Queen spat back._

_ "If you stay the course you're on, your world will not only change, it will end."_

_ "If you're threatening me, old man, I will not hesitate to cut you down." She said with unwavering conviction. A trait she has always possessed._

_ The man sighed. "It is not a threat, but a sad truth. You must welcome my talents if you hope for your people to survive."_

_ "You're asking me to throw away everything my mother has raised me to believe-"_

_ "Not necessarily." He corrected._

_ The soldier grew tired of their conversation and knocked once more. "Your Highness! I _must _speak with you urgently!"_

_ The Queen sighed and called the soldier forth. "You may enter."_

_ Given explicit permission he pushed the door open and was immediately caught off guard by the man sitting on the ledge of the Queen's window. He wore a floor length purple robe, both his hair and beard reached his waist, each strand whiter than the next, nestled at the end of a crooked nose was a pair of half-moon spectacles, and atop his aging head was a cap to match his robes. His appearance was that of magic, that of a sorcerer. Something unheard of in their kingdom, something exotic and strange, but it wasn't the time for such trivial matters._

_ "M'lady! There are forces approaching from the North." The soldier said in exasperation._

_ The Queen inhaled and exhaled tiredly. "Yes. I'm aware."_

_ Completely shocked by such a complacent admittance, the soldier couldn't find the words to speak for quite some time. "M-m'lady. You're telling me you know of the advancing army yet you're doing nothing to stop them?!"_

_ "You will watch your tone." She warned._

_ He couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. "In all respect, m'lady, now is not the time to worry about formalities! If we don't act soon your kingdom will fall!"_

_ The Queen, until recently was almost indifferent to her crumbling monarchy, turned to the old man and said, "Sorcerer, can you help to keep my walls from falling?"_

_ "It would be an honour, my Queen." He said assuredly and as surely as he was in front of them he was gone, the air around him warping and contorting as he vanished, leaving the soldier dumbfounded and the Queen ready to act._

_ "Now, you and I are going to get out of here."_

The sound of something banging against the underside of my treehouse, possibly someone's knuckles, brought me out of my fictional world. Yet again. I didn't recall my mum shrieking at me that time around. So I was just the bit curious, who else would climb my tree?

"Who is it?" I called tiredly, not particularly in the mood for company.

Whoever was there didn't respond right away, instead they poked their head through the opening in the floor and smiled my way. To my surprise it wasn't my mother and it wasn't Timmy from next door. No, it was an old man, of all people.

And while I processed how someone so aged and tired managed to climb a tree, he said, "May I join you?" Really too shocked and too caught off guard to respond, I nodded.

"Wonderful!" He said cheerily, lifting himself into the room and sitting down across from me.

I still didn't know what to say. And I'm a girl who has something to say about _everything_, no matter the situation, no matter who was involved. It was pretty unnerving, sitting across from someone without any obvious rhyme or reason for being there. More so than anything I was taken aback by how much he reminded me of some of the characters I've written. Robes reaching all the way to the floor, glasses perched at the end of his nose, knobby and wobbly joints as he moved, long and whisky white hair… and I didn't feel threatened by him, not in the slightest. He didn't mean any harm to me, that much was for sure.

"Have I come at a bad time?"

I'm pulled out of my musings by his kind and gentle voice, though a little rough and plenty tired. I shake my head. "No…" I hesitate. "Well, yes, but I'm used to being interrupted."

The man's face creased with a frown. "That's very unfortunate to hear. What were you doing, if I may ask?"

Most people turned up their noses at me for writing as often as I did, so I often lied. But, in that moment, I knew I wouldn't be able to get away with it. So I thumbed the edge of the paper I'd been scribbling on and I told him the truth. "I was writing a scene from a story I've been working on."

He gave me a crinkly smile at my honest response. "Fascinating! It's always good to get one's thoughts down!"

"I… I guess…" I continued to hesitate. There was some odd reason why I wasn't comfortable around him. Again, I wasn't threatened. But I still wasn't completely at ease. I shifted in my seat as it came to me… I had no idea why he was there, or who he was! "Excuse me for asking, but what are you doing here?"

The man's expression lit up and he licked his lips. "Ah, yes, frank and to the point. As your mother said you would be." He said almost affectionately. "I came here wondering why you hadn't sent word of your enrolment. There isn't much time left and I'd hate for you to miss out on such an experience because of pesky deadlines."

I racked my brain briefly for a memory of an acceptance letter. As far as I knew I hadn't even attempted to enrol in any private schools. I was happy at the public one down the street. "Uh, sir…" I muttered. "I think you have the wrong house. I haven't enrolled anywhere."

"Of course you haven't." He returned, only confusing me further. "You were accepted at Hogwarts merely for being a witch. We send letters to every young witch and wizard during the summer of their 11th year."

The words he was saying, they were complete hogwash to me.

'_Did he just call me what I think he did?_'

Witches and wizards, that odd word Hogwarts again… where had I heard that name before?

The odd letter I received in the mail weeks for finally came back to me. The owl-post, the mentions of Merlin, the talk of witches and wizards, and of several other things that I found absolutely… barking. Wouldn't any sane person? But, here was someone trying to talk to me about it seriously. So was Hogwarts an actual place? Was all of it real?

As the fragments of the letter flew across my conscious, like watching somebody else operate a typewriter, I fought to formulate what I wished to say. "You're not that Professor McGoggles, are you?" I asked without truly realising that I had.

"If you mean Professor McGonagall, then no, I am not."

Sceptical of a man spouting on about fictional things like it was the bloody weather, I couldn't help the look I gave him. "Even if you weren't you and you _were_ them, this talk of witches and wizards sounds like a load of rubbish to me."

"Naturally, for you weren't born in that world." He said most cryptically.

"And what does that mean?" I said before I had even let the thought register.

Despite my slightly snarky responses the man was surprisingly patient and kind. Smiling down at me as if I were his grandchild, he said, "It means, my dear, that even though you were born into a world of electric contraptions and unruly restrictions, you belong to one that is so much more wonderful, more mystical, more enthralling than you could imagine."

Unconsciously, I snorted. "You want to put money on that? I've a pretty expansive imagination."

Again he only smiled. "I don't doubt that."

"Then are you going to tell me who you are, at least?" I thought I'd ask.

His eyes almost twinkled at me as his expression changed once more. "Of all times I've been asked that I don't think it's ever taken this long." He chuckled nostalgically. "I am Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Since I was still less than keen to the whole Hogwarts situation I merely laughed and offered my hand out to him. "Leandra Peony Mills, but I'm sure you already knew that, for whatever reason."

"That I do." He returned kindly. "I'm sure you're curious about Hogwarts and everything else we've been talking about."

I rolled my eyes, not in impatience or sarcasm, but in disbelief. "Yeah, just a little, old man."

Surprisingly he looked at me deviously over his half-moon spectacles with a coy smirk. "Keep up that attitude and you may never find out."

I held up my hands in defeat to the "headmaster". "My apologies, Professor."

"All is forgiven." He forgave then suddenly clapped his hands together. "Now… how to tell you about something you've been taught all your life couldn't possibly exist?"


	2. Ravens, Snakes, and Lions

**Milly**

**Snooty Ravens, Bitchy Snakes, and Knightly Lions**

* * *

Wow. To say that what Dumbledore told me both shocked and enticed me is a wild understatement. For years I had written about grand sorcerers and magical creatures and now I was going to be able to practically live in one of my stories. It was so much more than I could've hoped. All my life I wanted to do something exciting and it was finally happening. I mean, I'm a witch! There wasn't anything more promising than that.

So thanks to that crazy old man I found myself with a multitude of new possessions and a purse heavy with an almost completely foreign currency aboard a certain Hogwarts Express. In my sleeve was my wand, an 11 and ¾ inch spruce wand with a phoenix feather core. The old man who sold it to me warned me that I might have a hard time "controlling it". Whatever that meant. Atop the luggage rack in the corridor was my trunk, full of robes, gloves, books, parchment, ink, quills, vials, and a cauldron that was enchanted to shrink so it could fit. And dangling from my little finger on my right hand was my newest pet, as suggested in my letter. It was small enough to keep me company at all times but would not fail to bring me the morning post.

Though I wanted to get an owl I couldn't afford it with the allowance I was given for the year. I was left with few choices though I eventually settled for a pretty wimpy looking bat. I named him Truffles and he hated his cage. Which was why he wasn't in it but hanging upside down from my finger while I wrote more to Queen Millicent's story.

_The Queen had narrowly escaped her kingdom before the walls fell thanks to the efforts of the sorcerer. She rode on to her new life with a troupe of performers, hiding, remaining out of sight, for she did not know who of those around her sympathized with the forces who sought her head. She kept her head cloaked and her voice silent. She could not risk drawing attention to herself. Though against her mightiest efforts her caravan was infiltrated by three crooning, hobbled, ghastly hags._

"This compartments good, it's practically empty." A nasally voice interjected.

I looked up from my writing to see who had so rudely joined me. Three girls strode in, two with blue and bronze neckties the other with green and silver. They all gave me nasty looks, looks I ignored as they took their seats and babbled on about absolutely nothing. I put my pencil back to work.

"_Ssssee here, sssissssters, a sssstowawaaaaay.__" __One hissed at the Queen with a forked tongue slipping out between her grey and cracked lips._

_On either side of the hissing hag were two who looked almost identical to the other with noses that drooped so low they all but covered their mouths. They were shrouded in black cloaks that seemed to give off wisps of smoke each time they moved. As the Queen watched the three women, a word she did not feel fitting to the hags, the twins cackled and clicked their claws like hands together as if plotting something dastardly._

_One of the hooked nosed sisters stepped forward. __"O__h she__'s__ a young thing, isn__'t__ she?__"_

_As one of their hands reached out for the Queen she did nothing to stop them. Better to pretend she slumbered than to engage such awful creatures. They twirled the ends of her brown locks around their bony fingers, sometimes they pulled, other times they gave her hair a strong whiff. It bothered the Queen to no end, but she couldn__'t__ react. It did not matter that she no longer had a kingdom to govern, she earned the throne she ruled and she would behave like the royalty she was._

"_Oi, away with you!"_

_The Queen was surprised by the sudden pounding timbre that sounded through the caravan. At the mouth she could see four figures, all of different statures and appearances, clamber into the small wagon._

_The hag with the forked tongue hissed, venom dripping from her crooked maw. Within seconds the three hags slithered out of the caravan, The Queen didn't know how to carry herself; she had traded the company of the witch-like women for four large men. They could prove to be an even bigger threat than the hags. One of them crouched down and brushed back her hood._

"_We'll protect you, m'lady." He whispered ever-so kindly. Brushing aside my cloak and place his hand on my chest. On the lion crest signalling my royalty.  
_

"Is she a first year?" A different voice interrupted my thoughts, yet again.

Before I could even look up someone was brushing my sweater aside and looking at my collar. "No necktie, definitely a firsty." I hesitantly looked to the hand closest to my throat. I don't know what those girls were trying to do but it was getting out of hand. Was it customary to invade the personal space of people you just met in the wizarding world?

"Look at those clothes, think she's a muggleborn?"

"Yuck, muggleborn. And look at that thing, is that- is that a bat?"

I resist rolling my eyes because that would just fuel them further. From my finger, Truffles hissed at one as it tried to touch him. Honestly? Who sees a bat and thinks "Oooo! I wanna touch it!" No one with even half a brain cell in my opinion.

"How disgusting, only a muggleborn could want something like that!"

By then I had completely run out of patience. Sensing my actions, Truffles flew up and perched on my shoulder. I tucked my pencil behind my ear, pulled out Truffles' cage from above my seat and I left the compartment. Just as the door to it closed behind me another one opened just a few compartments down. Out of it rushed a girl with fiery red hair and a boy with hair blacker than coal. His hand was in hers as they stomped down the corridor and found themselves another cabin to occupy.

Tentatively I headed down that way finding that the compartment the boy and girl had just left was the only one that wasn't packed or the only one whose occupants looked moderately kind. I gently slid the door open and waved to the two boys inside. One sat to my left, the other to my right. Both were leaning against the far side of the train laughing about some odd thing or another and both had jet black hair.

Their attention turned to me quickly. "By the looks on their faces I assume your friends aren't coming back?" I half-asked the two.

The boy with the messy hair snorted. "I wouldn't count on it."

"Oh, sorry then." I apologised.

"Not your fault. Not our friends." The boy with his curly head against the window shrugged. "That wannabe Slytherin was a git anyway."

'_S__lytherwhat?_' I thought even though outwardly I pretended that I knew perfectly well what they were talking about. "You mind if I join you?"

"Depends." Messy hair smirked devilishly.

My eyes widened a bit. "On?"

"If you're a slimy Slytherin or not!" He joked with a very charming smile.

"Oh, well…" I muttered. "I have no idea what that is so I can't confirm or deny if I am one."

The two boys sat up a bit straight at my admittance.

"You're a muggleborn?" Curly hair exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "If you're going to give me grief over it like the girls from my last compartment I'm leaving."

"Why would we?" Messy hair asked rather genuinely.

Unsure myself, I shrugged. "Beats me."

Curly hair smirked much like Messy hair had done earlier. "We'll just give you grief over something else, sound fair?"

I found myself smiling at the witty retort, oddly enough. "Guess it'll have to do."

Taking that was my unofficial welcome to the cabin I shoved Truffles' cage up onto the luggage rack above Curly hair and took the seat next to Messy hair. After plopping down onto the lush cushions he offered me his hand.

"James Potter." He introduced.

"Leandra Mills." I returned upon clasping his hand and giving it a firm shake.

We both looked to Curly hair who was still smirking mischievously. "Sirius Black." He offered.

I smiled at the two boys and asked something I'd been wondering ever since it was brought up. "What's Slytherin?" At my simple question they both simultaneously pretended to upchuck their breakfast onto their shoes. It was uncanny how alike they were. I couldn't help giggling a bit.

"It's just the foulest house you could be sorted into at Hogwarts." Sirius grumbled, crossing his arms.

Seemed as if the answers I received were just inciting more questions. "House?" I asked.

"Yeah, houses." James confirmed. "You get sorted into your house right when you get there and that's where you live while you're at Hogwarts."

My eyes widened, I hadn't ever heard of something like that. "How many of them are there?"

James held up every finger on his right hand save for his thumb. "Four. There's Slytherin," He paused to shiver, I could tell it was forced, "it's full of prats and future dark witches and wizards. Then there's Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and the best of them all," He paused, "Gryffindor."

The way James smiled when he talked about Gryffindor was like nothing I'd ever seen. I never smiled like that, not to my knowledge anyways. But James was grinning like a royal fool. He jumped up onto the seat and pulled out his wand.

"Have at thee!" He cried, though smiling all the while.

I didn't hesitate in jumping to my feet and letting my wand fall from my sleeve and into my hand. "What the hell are you doing!" I laughed.

Instead of answering me he brought down his wand, almost like a sword, and I blocked it with my own quickly. There wasn't enough length to either of our weapons so we were put almost face to face in our epic duel. _Click, clack!_ The sounds of our wands connecting over and over through the cabin. Sirius, an innocent bystander, the only time that would ever happen, trust me, just laughed at our performance.

"Through adversity, a Gryffindor valiantly triumphs in the face of danger, no matter how large or how small the task!" James boasted, his eyes shining as a bit of red sparks flared out from the tip of his wand.

"Jesus!" I laughed, backing away from the moron. "I take it you want to be a Gryffindor!"

He jumped down from his mighty spot on the couch. "Of course! My entire family's been happy to call the red and gold house their home!"

"Your entire family?" I asked. "Is that a common thing?"

James nodded but Sirius answered. "Everyone in my family's been in Slytherin."

"And yet you hate it?"

"That's right." He concurred.

"So sorting is a lineage thing?" I continued to ask. "What family you're from decides what house you're in?"

The two looked at each other and made some indecisive noises. Eventually Sirius said, "Well… yes and no. You can be sorted into a different house than your relatives it's just Slytherin's tend to raise Slytherin's and Gryffindor's tend to raise Gryffindor's, if you know what I mean."

"Ohhhh." I exclaimed. "So I guess I'm fair game."

James smirked that devil's smirk of his. "In a manner of speaking."

I glowered at the mischievous look he was giving me. "I don't think I want to know what your insinuating."

"Probably not." Sirius laughed quietly.

I rolled my eyes and decided to get back to the subject of sorting. "Since you don't want to be in Slytherin can't you just choose not to be in that house?"

He shrugged. "I hope so."

I sort of blinked in confusion at the curly haired boy in front of me. "What do you mean?"

"We're not really sure how we're to be sorted." James admitted nonchalantly.

I did that weird confused blinking thing again. "How's that?" I asked. "Didn't your parents go here? Wouldn't they tell you?"

Sirius started laughing again. "There seems to be an unspoken tradition of letting us first years be surprised. None of the older students or our family's say anything on the matter, usually. But they usually mention something about wrestling a troll…"

"You're joking." I stated blandly with my jaw on the floor.

The boys clutched their guts as they burst out in laughter. Having fun at the poor Muggleborns expense, it would be a recurring theme during my years there. For the rest of the ride we purchased a hefty amount of sweets from the trolley and watched my little Truffles try to catch a runaway chocolate frog. Something I still refuse to eat. Sitting with Sirius and James made me start to see how exciting my next seven years were going to be. They talked about so many things, from Quidditch to butterbeer to Exploding Snap to Wizard's Chess and everything there could possibly be in between. I could hardly wait to experience all of these magical things for myself.


	3. A Fate Decided

**Milly**

**A Fate Decided**

* * *

After coming to a stop on the train and floating across a pitch black lake, Sirius, James, and I arrived at the shores of Hogwarts. It was even grander than I'd imagined. Old stone towers reached into the cloudless night, large bits of the castle were hanging over the water without as much as a pebble keeping them attached to the side of the cliff. A reflection was cast over the lake, the candlelight from the open windows giving the appearance that will-o-the-wisps were dancing across the water. I watched closely as birds flew towards the tallest tower, and from it as well, while their silhouettes contrasted the stark white moon off in the distance.

You could say I was entranced by the place. And you'd be correct. Places the likes of Hogwarts just simply didn't exist anymore. I read about them in books and got a gist of them from the pictures but you can't grasp the magic wafting off such a beautiful building in a flat two dimensional photograph. As I sat next to some girl I didn't even care to learn the name of I reached into my robe and pulled out Truffles who had been curled up in an inner pocket. He blinked his beady black eyes up at me and yawned. What a cute little creature.

We arrived at the shore much sooner than I liked. As our enchanted boat carried itself onto the rocks I sighed in reluctance. If I had it my way I would never have gone to classes at all. I would've just sat and watched the mystical castle until I grew tired, fell asleep, only to wake up early the next day and do it all over again. But, sadly, there wasn't a class at Hogwarts for sitting and staring. Besides James was the one who would've gotten an Outstanding on his O.W.L.s in that subject with him pining after the same redhead for seven years. He was _the_ expert at sitting and staring.

Speaking of the mop topped lug, him and Sirius' boat had just pulled itself up onto shore next to mine. They were arguing about something or another and pushing each other to get out of the stupid thing. While they tried their darnedest not to fall face first into rubble I decided to leave the company of my fellow boatmate to join them. They smiled when they saw me, waving and shoving each other one last time before ceasing that rubbish.

"Long time no see!" James said jokingly.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. It was a heart wrenching twenty minutes."

The boys smiled at my typical sarcasm and we regrouped with the rest of the first years and Hagrid, a giant of a man that was tasked with greeting us and escorting us to the castle. Standing at at least eight feet Hagrid cast a wide and lengthy shadow over James and Sirius as well as myself. He held a lantern high above everyone and squinted his black eyes at us.

"Keep close now!" Hagrid bellowed for all to hear. And as we were within close enough proximity to the man we winced when our ear drums began to ring. "Der's all sorts of creatures that'd love ter take a bite outta ya younglin's lurkin' beneath this here castle!"

Once the word "creatures" left Hagrid's lips, more like left his beard, I turned to Sirius and hissed, "He can't be serious!"

He nodded but was grinning deviously. "You're right. He can't." He paused to cast me a wink. "I'm Sirius."

At first I was confused. But eventually I put together his little joke and gave his arm a good knock. Sirius rubbed the spot I punched him but was still smiling valiantly. I had fully intended on giving him a firm verbal reprimand when the awkward group of eleven years old began shuffling along after Hagrid. By the size of him he'd been heading towards the castle for a while. He almost appeared to be a normal bloke from this distance. Which couldn't be further from the truth.

As we walked forth while trying not to trip over each other's robes, attire I surely loathed when compared to my comfy jumper, an indiscernible amount of worry arose in me. The most challenging confrontation I had faced up until then was pulling my favourite bag from the jaws of el Cornetto, my long since dead dog, rest in peace you foul mutt. And I just ended up throwing a treat out into the lawn to avert his attention. So I was pretty good at cheating my way through such things.

But creatures? No way, no fucking way. Even the small amount of magic I had tried to produce up until then was barely anything at all. I guess I sort of understood what Ollivander meant when he said my wand was "temperamental". Just a few orange sparks and not much else. I was just hoping that this Hagrid was better apt in using a wand than I.

To pass the time I pulled out something I'd tucked away in the pockets of my robe. It was a bit of my story that I'd written on the train after meeting the boys. There wasn't much but I didn't actually remember most of it so a reread was clearly in order. I unfolded the bit of parchment and began reading.

_The four men that had so gratefully saved the Queen from the hags turned out to be a group of knights on patrol for a nearby kingdom. They were aware to the state of her kingdom and had their eyes out for her since. They tried to convince the Queen to leave behind the caravan to join them on their journey back to their king. And though she was quite hesitant in accompanying four strangers into the unknown, she eventually complied with their requests. They had rescued her, hadn't they? If it weren't for them then she would've probably been harmed by the hags. The knight, they provided her with a beautiful auburn steed and they rode onwards towards the south, towards a new life for the Queen._

_ Some time later they came to the drawbridge of the knights' kingdom, a soldier from his post above waved the Queen and her company through. As they approached the castle droves of citizens moved to either sides of the dusty streets to allow them passage. They seemed to know who the Queen was; her name was often heard whispered amongst them. But that wasn't the only thing she noticed…_

_ Not only did men and women line the streets, an assortment of animals did as well. Beasts and creatures of all sizes, none the likes she had never seen before. Large felines apparently talking to villagers, frogs and other slimy creatures sat regally on counters and exchanged gold coins for food or cloth; it was as if these animals were a result of some sort of witchcraft. It disturbed the Queen to no end._

_ "Do no fret, your Highness." One of the knights called from behind her, clearly aware to her perturbed gaze. "Those around you would rather do harm onto themselves than frighten the benevolent Queen."_

_ Over her cloaked shoulder she nodded at the knight. She was just unnerved was all. She may not have been born with a silver spoon between her lips but she'd long since grown accustomed to the royal life. But she was now a Queen without a kingdom. Practically a commoner. There were few she could rely on to keep her safe and out of harm._

_ Finally, though, they came to the castle. The knights dismounted first and one with scars riddling his face came and helped the Queen down from her steed. She nodded her thanks and followed the four men as they marched boldly through the castle doors. And even though she at first carried herself strong and brazen, she soon found her jaw agap and her senses bombarded by the most beautiful tapestries and décor of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and citrine she had ever seen._

_ In front of her sat an old man in a magnificent throne. To his side stood a lanky thin man with greasy black hair and a narrowed gaze. At his feet sat ever more animals, a large lioness sat poised in a serious manner, a python that had wrapped loosely around a small badger, and a raven that had perched itself comfortably on the old man's bony arm. With closer inspection, the Queen realised that she recognised the King. _

_It was none other than the sorcerer who had aided her in her escape and had tried so hard to keep her kingdom standing._

_ "You…" She breathed with a smile on her face as she shook her head._

_ The sorcerer's face wrinkled in kindness. "Miss Millicent. It's good to see that you are unscathed."_

_ The Queen nodded. "It would not have been so if your knights hadn't saved me when they had."_

_ His eyebrow raised in confusion. "Knights? You mean the four brothers?"_

_ The King gestured to the four men who had lowered themselves to kneel before their monarch. "We're sorry, you're Highness. We left to search for her without being told to do so." One spoke out earnestly._

_ "'Tis true, Milord." Another piped in. "We could not sit around on our asses in good conscious."_

_ "We know that we are not knights, nor are we of the royal court, we are four simple sons of a poor wizard who could not bear the thought of Lady Millicent being without protection when she was at her most vulnerable." A third offered in a tone a bit quieter than his other brothers._

_ The last had a bit to contribute as well. "Despite that we are not soldiers of the crown we could not deny the urge we all felt to protect the Queen."_

_ For a moment everything fell quiet. The King smiled to himself and the Queen looked on in confusion. She had been lied to. It was not a feeling she was accustomed to experiencing. She did not know them personally so she wasn't completely devastated but there was the slightest bit of pain from the small betrayal. She decided in a brief thought to put it behind her. She was a queen, not a mewling quim. _

_The brother's all continued to prattle off excuses for what they had done but the kind King motioned for their silence. "I am not going to punish you, brave ones. But rather I am going to do something to excuse your rash actions." He paused momentarily to moisten his old and cracked lips. "You are to be knighted under the protections of one of the four Earls."_

_ "I beg your pardon." The lioness grumbled as she glared up at the old man._

_ The King nodded solemnly to the talking feline. "My sincerest apologies, you will be knighted under the protection of either the Earls or by the Countess. I had actually intended for them to serve under your crest."_

_ The Countess smiled wide, her fangs shining over her curled lips. "A smart match, indeed." She agreed wholeheartedly._

_ Beside the King the lanky man the Queen had taken notice to before spoke up. "Sire, are you sure? They acted against royal decree! Do condone their actions is to open the floodgates for all sorts of naysayers!"_

_ "To save one of the only fair and just monarchs in the land, I can allow them a bit of a reprieve." The old man countered before rising and unsheathing his sword._

_He raised the decorative blade high above his head and brought it down carefully onto the shoulders of each of the sons. They were dubbed the bravest in the land under decree of the Countess de Aslan and were each given a name to fit their strongest traits. The youngest and smallest was given the title of the Stealthy One. One of the older brother's was given the Sacrificial One, the one whose face had been so thoroughly ravaged by beast. And to the two that remained they were given the title of the Loyal one and the Brave one. Fitting titles to say the least for the Queen's valiant knights._

When I finished reading through my brief excerpt I realised that my fellow first years and I had arrived at an old and musty door. Oh, no, that was Hagrid's coat. He was standing in _front_ of the door. On either side of me were James and Sirius, both with excitement clear on their childish faces.

"When'd we get here?" I asked no one in particular.

The curly haired one gave me an incredulous look. "Just now. Fall asleep on us, did you?"

I rolled my eyes and didn't answer him. Because obviously I didn't. I was walking.

"No one get lost?" The large man called out through the cramped chasm, his boisterous voice bouncing off against the walls, distracting me from Sirius altogether.

There was no sound to suggest otherwise so Hagrid turned towards the grand door he'd been blocking and knocked a total of three times. And almost like magic it swung open immediately after, slowly and surely. Waiting for us on the other side in the middle of a grand hall was a stern looking older woman with black hair that wore cascading emerald robes and a matching witch's hat. Safe to assume that she was, in fact, of a bewitching nature. While I laughed internally at my little joke the woman adjusted her glasses and looked to our very large escort who was granting her a mighty grin.

"Got our newest batch of hatchlin's!" Hagrid bellowed in glee. "Fresh off the train!"

The women sighed in exasperation. "If you could refrain from referring to the students as newly hatched _dragons_, it would be most appreciated."

He nodded in agreement. "Righ'. Sorry Professor."

Hagrid said a small goodbye to us hatchlings and moved towards a large door the 'professor' was simultaneously leading us away from. We approached the smallest door we had seen so far and she waved her hand and again, like magic, it opened.

"This magic shit sure is cool." I muttered subconsciously. My foul language got a chuckle or two from my future classmates but a glare from the professor. Guess having the mouth of a smarmy sailor was frowned upon in this establishment! I looked down at my high tops in embarrassment. I'll admit it, my cheeks were getting a bit pink. And I could even swear that Truffles was snickering at me from the spot he nestled in. Which just happened to be my hair.

Down another corridor we continued to shuffle. We were incredibly crowded. About fifty young souls being forced to deal with everyone's prepubescent body odour was a bit more than I could handle. To help myself suffer through it I made gagging sounds to my two new mates. They lapped it up. Luckily it didn't last for long because the professor came to a halt at, yet, another door. Through it was a modest chamber where we could've spread out more if we wanted to, but apparently we didn't.

The professor approached a much grander door than before and turned to face us. "I am Professor McGonagall and I'd like to welcome you to Hogwarts." She said in a very slight cheery tone. "In a few moments the start-of-term banquet will commence. But before you join the rest of the students in the Great Hall you're to be sorted into your individual houses. The Sorting Ceremony is one of the most important parts of life here at Hogwarts because where you're sorted determines where you'll live and the sorts of people who will become your family in the years to come.

"You will sleep in the house dormitories, you will attend classes with your house, and you'll more than likely spend most of your time in your house common rooms. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin, so named for the four witches and wizards that banded together and founded this fine school. Each of the houses has produced a multitude of powerful and talented witches and wizards so you're sure to find opportunities no matter where you're sorted.

"While you're here at Hogwarts you'll participate in what's known as the House Cup. You win the House Cup by earning points for your house through your triumphs and success in academics. Though rule breaking and tomfoolery with result in house point deduction. When term comes to an end the house with the most points is awarded the cup. I dearly hope that each of you will help your house to win and not hinder them.

"Now the Sorting Ceremony is about to begin." McGonagall said as if she were about to wrap up her speech. "You'll be sorted in front of the rest of the school so I suggest you make any efforts to make yourself presentable."

I was about to call out _rude_ when I started to notice that we did, in fact, smelt like sewer. And there was a bat dangling from my scalp. She probably thought it was a vermin from the caves. She was in for a surprise when she found out that Truffles was sticking to me like glue for years to come.

"I'll return for you when we're ready." The professor finished before she left the chamber.

A room full of eleven year olds. What could go wrong.

Nothing actually went wrong; I'm just being the sarcastic little tit that I am. No. We sat and talked about the wonderful Hogwarts and the mysterious Sorting Ceremony. If it came down to wrestling a troll or riding a dragon I was pretty sure we were all significantly under qualified. Good thing it was nothing like that. Not that we even thought about that as the doors were opened and the magic of everything just overwhelmed a good portion of us. Me included.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'd like to apologise for delayed posting, this is a story I'd like to get right so I'm taking my time with it. No Millicent next chapter, just Leandra and the sorting and getting to know the rest of the crew. Hopefully we'll get into the magic soon. But we're only three chapters in! Be patient and it'll pay off I swear! xoxo, Momma Love**


	4. Move In Day

**Milly**

**Move In Day**

* * *

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Though a shouting hat should've disturbed me more than it did, I didn't think anything of it when we were sorted. First up out of all of us was Sirius. And contrary to his contempt attitude on the train he got sorted just where he wanted. I was genuinely happy that he broke the Black curse of being in Slytherin. When he ran off towards a couple of screaming red heads I noticed one soul girl from the green and silver house stand up and clap generously. Sirius gave the girl a thumbs up and a smile, apparently they knew each other.

Now one of my biggest flaws is my inability to retain information. In other words, I'm forgetful. Horrendously so. So I don't remember my other classmates from the other houses right off the top of my head. But I remember my fellow Gryffindor's so that's what I'm going to stick with. Besides, this is about them anyways. In my year there was Sirius Black, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, Marlene McKinnon, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter (no shock there), Julie Winslick, and myself. A Ms Leandra Mills to complete the bunch. And may I just say, what I bunch we were.

Soon after Marlene was sorted it was my turn up at bat. Being as short as I was made it a bit awkward for me to get up on the stool but I got there. When that ratty old thing was placed on my head I wasn't sure what to expect. It hmmmed and hummmmed a bit, said "got a knack for adventure, this one" and shouted Gryffindor at a decibel that was very close to shattering my eardrum. I quickly hobbled over to my designated table and had my shoulders grabbed by Sirius. He gave them a one arm hug and guided me over to where he'd been sitting.

Lily was busy talking to Marlene and Remus offered me a small wave. I was going to say 'hello' to the fella when those two red heads I saw before sandwiched me.

"We've got a good lot this year!" One exclaimed, chuckling deviously.

"Every lot of Gryffs has got to be good! It's in the job description!" I assumed the other replied, just as loudly. They were sort of a fuzz of voices above my head and it didn't help that they sounded and looked identical to the other. Twins. Telling the two apart was probably going to prove to be a touch difficult. I was caught up in my thoughts when Truffles struggling and groaning from the depths of my hair brought me out of it.

Eventually I pried the two off of me and fixed my hair. "Hello to you two, too!" I leered a bit.

"Sorry 'bout that." One apologised.

"We just get a bit excited, 'tis all!" The other explained.

Without another word they went back off to where they'd been seated so they could 'boo' and 'hiss' at people sorted into Slytherin and cheer for their incoming Gryffindors. With them gone but nowhere near forgotten I lowered Sirius a look as to explain what the hell had just happened.

"That was Fabian and Gideon Prewett." He allotted me. "I like 'em."

I rolled my eyes but sat down across from a slightly stunned Remus. "They're just a boisterous as you. I'm sure you three'll be kindred spirits in no time."

"Oi." He protested. "Make that four. James is sure to get a laugh out of them too!"

I decided to ignore him and he went down to where the twins had gone. Instead of following him I reached my hand across the table to Remus. "Leandra." I offered when he took my hand. "People usually call me Lea."

He smiled a bit haphazardly. "Remus. Pleasure to meet you."

"That it is." I smirked. "You where you wanted to be?"

He didn't seem to understand my question.

"Were you aiming for Gryffindor?" I reiterated.

Finally understanding me he smiled wider. "I was just happy to be accepted here."

I nodded. "Same goes for me. Had no idea any of this existed 'til a few months ago."

To that he looked a bit surprised. "Are you a Muggleborn?"

"That I am." I concurred. "At least, that's what everyone keeps calling me."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Despite the interruption I looked up with the rest of the table, eager to see the new face. A stout little boy waddled our way and, again, the twins rushed to meet him. They exchanged excited words with the terrified kid just as they'd done with me and eventually they left him dazed and confused. Sirius came back laughing seconds after. And he kept laughing when he saw the newest addition to Gryffindor standing straight as a potbellied statue.

"You gonna stand there all day?" He chuckled in an overall 'jerk-esque' fashion.

I glared at him mercilessly and smacked him lightly on the leg. "Hey, stop being a tit."

Sirius shrugged, he obviously didn't care, and sat down next to me while I motioned for the kid to join us. Shakily he complied by going over to Remus's side and sitting by him. Smart choice.

"What's your name?" I asked when he was properly settled.

Though he still looked nervous he managed an answer. "Peter." He practically squeaked.

"Lea." I returned then quickly jabbed my thumb in Sirius's direction. "This prat's Sirius-"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Another shout from the Sorting Hat and I saw James with his messy hair running towards us. He was met halfway by both Sirius and the Prewett twins in a raucous flailing of limbs and straining of vocal chords. Oh God. They were too similar. It was like one big ginger black blob of hysterics and mischievous tendencies. I was going to continue the introductions but Remus already beat me to it. He'd shaken Peter's hand and was engaging in some idle chitchat. Still my eyes wandered back to that blob. James and Sirius separated themselves from their ginger older selves and they were all laughing like jackals.

"They're becoming fast friends pretty… well… fast…" I muttered under my breath.

Directly to my left and some distance away was Lily who was looking at the boys much like I had been. Though I wasn't really that bothered by their antics she looked as if they were ticking her off to no end. Her face was even a bit scrunched up in distaste.

She sneered a bit in their direction and whispered loud enough for both Marlene and myself to hear, though I'm pretty sure she hadn't meant for me to be privy to her distaste. "Can't they just sit down and behave?"

I snorted unconsciously. "They've been like this since the train. Doubt they're going to stop anytime soon."

"You sat with them on the train?" She asked me, clearly shocked for some unknown reason.

I nodded. "I was with them for the last half of the trip."

"How could you stand them?" She continued to ask in a genuine curiosity.

They didn't seem that bad to me so I didn't really know what she meant. Still, I shrugged. "They're a bit off the walls but they seem like some alright blokes to me."

Since there was enough room between Lily and me, James managed to squeeze in between us. That day I seemed to be having a lot of unfinished conversations with people and it wouldn't end there. Surely not. Sirius quickly reclaimed his spot on my right and joined Peter and Remus in whatever they were talking about. And just as I was about to pull out some paper and write, we heard,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The last first year was sorted into our less-than-humble house and it was Ms Julie Winslick. She skipped down towards the Ravenclaw table until someone kindly yelled that she was going to wrong way. James, Sirius, and I chuckled a bit to ourselves, earning a signature glare from Lily, but we quickly shut ourselves up when Julie strolled up to the small spot between Marlene and Peter. She wiggled her way in without so much as a peep though she wore a very large toothy grin. In all honesty she looked a tad bonkers.

"Welcome!"

Every head in the hall snapped to look at who'd yelled so loudly, including mine. It was Mr Albus standing at attention.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" He continued. "It's that start of a brand new year and before we partake in the always wonderful banquet I'd like to warn you all to something dastardly! The Jammie Dodgers are to _die_ for!

"Thank you!"

I squinted around at my fellow classmates in disbelief. I knew that Dumbledore was a bit of a nutter but I think he'd prove to surprise me at every turn. I was about to ask the others what the hell he was on about but they were already stuffing their gobs with everything in sight. And in my forgetfulness I can't exactly say what I ate for dinner at my first Hogwarts feast though I vaguely remember spitting pumpkin juice into Peter's face. Completely on accident, of course, I just didn't have a taste for wizarding world food.

When I heard a bit of shrieking over by the Hufflepuff table caused by a small food fight I managed to catch a glimpse at the girl who'd waved at Sirius from Slytherin. She was sitting next to a particularly stuffy looking girl and an even stuffier looking boy with a mighty self-important aura around him. I looked back at Sirius and waited for him to put down his shovel for a moment so I could ask him who she was.

And after nearly an eternity, he came up for air. "Oi, Sirius." I nudged him lightly.

"Hmmm?" He half-heartedly returned. He was too busy piling up his plate with everything in sight.

I looked over one more time before asking with an extended arm, "Who's that?"

Sirius lifted his head up and followed my directional appendage and grimaced. "That's Narcissa. How'd you know I knew her?"

"She clapped for you when you were sorted." I offered as I spooned something into my gullet.

Apparently confused, Sirius's lips flattened and his brow furrowed. Eventually though he'd have a moment of clarity and say, "Oh, that was Andromeda."

"Narcissa and Andromeda?" I asked in disbelief. Sirius nodded.

"Sisters." He said as if that cleared up anything. Those were some odd names despite them being related to each other.

I laughed and reached for a roll. "That's still some creative thinking there."

Sirius laughed like he agreed. "Sort of a habit in my family."

'_Now what does that have to do with anything?_'

"My mums name's Walburgha and my brother's Regulas."

I looked at him, bewildered. "What's that matter?"

Now it was Sirius's turn to look confused. "They're my cousins?"

'_Ohhhhhh!_' I outwardly laughed. "Well you didn't tell me that, now did you?"

After the feast Dumbledore addressed some issues pertaining to Quidditch try-outs but was sure to mention that first years couldn't play for their houses so there wasn't any point to pay attention to any of that. He also informed us that under no circumstances were students allowed into the Forbidden Forest and directed a particularly 'knowing' glance over his spectacles at the Prewett boys. Guess they were just as much the troublemakers as they seemed.

Dumbledore then told us about a new addition to the grounds at Hogwarts. The Whoomping Willow, a strangely violent piece of a botanist's collection. And if you don't like being thrashed about in the face then one would be most wise to avoid it. Good note. The more time I spent in the wizarding world the more I feared for my life.

So once that was all wrapped up and I was thoroughly terrified we were led to our dorms by our Prefects. Boys were guided by Frank Longbottom and girls by Nancy Nittler. The Gryffindor dorms were in Gryffindor Tower and required a password for entry. A password a fat lady on a moving portrait thought up and told the Prefects who then told us. And it didn't matter how often I was told I'd forget it the very next day without fail. I was just the small forgetful one.

By the time we entered the common room the rest of the house was already having a bit of a party to kick off the year. Fabian and Gideon were playing exploding snap and making the most noise out of everyone by far. And though I'd hate to admit it I wanted to join them. But we had to get settled into our dorms before joining the merriment. Each group of girls from each year had their own floor, their own four poster red velvet bed, and even a spectacular view of the grounds. Scenery, modest privacy, and lush pillows. What more could a girl ask for?

Once that was all settled you could either choose to remain in your dorms or join the party. Seeing as I'd rather be with James and Sirius than Lily and Marlene I surmised that the uprising downstairs would've been a good place to find the boys. While I was heading down the steps I heard someone behind me. It was Julie. She was still giving me that weird grin. I waved nervously and she waved back so fast she looked to have three hands attached to her wrist. Strange girl.

When we finally got down there I was not surprised to see James and Sirius neck deep in shenanigans. By the looks of the objects they'd sent whizzing around the room I thought it was safe to assume that the Prewett's had taught them some low level magic. I turned to ask Julie something but she was already nowhere to be found. Anyways! Sitting on one of the couches near the fireplace looking perfectly happy watching their new roommates was Remus and Peter. I decided to join them while I waited for the other two to notice I was even there.

"Hey guys." I said a bit louder than I would've had we been somewhere quiet.

Remus was the first to notice me. He smiled and shifted down the couch to allow me a seat. "You all settled in then?" He asked once I'd situated myself.

I nodded. "Not much to settle besides check to see that my grubby roommates didn't take my stuff."

His hazel eyes grew wide. "Bu-but… Lily and Marlene would never…!"

"I was joking Remus!" I laughed, slapping him lightly on the back.

A very light primrose dusted across his cheeks. "Oh… sorry."

I continued to smile at him when James sent something straight at my head, sending Truffles from it in a tizzy. He screeched and hissed loudly as he circled the room. The older boys laughed at my little guys' performance, some of the younger students cried out. It didn't matter what was happening because I had tackled James for hitting me in the noggin in the first place. I grabbed his robes by the collar and shook him for a good while causing Sirius to laugh quite hard.

With Truffles flying about in a panic and James feebly trying to defend my attacks it would surely be impossible to forget my first night at Hogwarts. Even with my awful memory. I'd always remember rolling around on the floor laughing with my eventual two best friends.

* * *

**Author's Note: Actually got this one pretty quick! Just bonding for the Gryffindor's. I've been trying not to dwell on moments in the book (going to Diagon Alley and getting supplies, extensive coverage of the sorting, detailing everything Milly sees), just touch on them, because we're familiar with the series, we know what's going on. Nancy Nittler and Julie Winslett are original characters as are Matthew Jenkins and Trina Trinkle but you won't meet them until next chapter. Trying to keep in mind that Milly's 11 but it's proving to be tres difficile. Keeping Great Hall set up as it is in the movies to provide better visuals and such things. Probably going to be doing chapters from now on in 2 week time intervals (I mean within the story itself) so things don't drone. And depending on whether or not I have anything important it just might skip to feasts and holiday's. Honestly it's all depending on whether I can create some intriguing scenarios that haven't been done to death. Enjoy! xoxo, Momma Love**


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